Rickie Lee Lambert (born 16 February 1982) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Southampton and the England national team. Lambert began his career at Blackpool, later playing at Macclesfield Town, Stockport County, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers, before moving to Southampton in 2009.
Lambert proved a key signing for Southampton, becoming their top scorer as they were promoted to the Championship in 2010 and to the Premier League
the following season. He has won a number of personal awards, including
three league Golden Boots. Lambert is known for his large stature and
physical performances, drawing comparisons with Southampton legend Matthew Le Tissier for his ability in front of goal and penalty taking ability.[3] On 8 August 2013, Lambert was called up to the England team for the first time.[4][5] On 14 August 2013 he scored on his England national team debut at Wembley in a friendly against Scotland with his first touch. The goal was one of the quickest in a debut timed at 2 mins and 46 secs.
Personal life
Lambert is married to wife Amy and the couple have three children.[6]
Their third child, a daughter named Bella Rose, was born on 8 August
2013, the same day he was called up to the England squad for his debut
against Scotland.[7]
Club career
Early career
Lambert was born and raised in the Westvale area of Kirkby, Merseyside by parents Maureen and Ray.[8] Lambert joined local club Liverpool as a youngster aged 10, but was released when he was 15.[9]
Blackpool
Lambert tried out for non-league side Marine,[8] before becoming a trainee with Blackpool in August 1998 at the age of 16.[10] He made his professional debut on 7 August 1999 as a 17-year-old, coming on as a 68th minute substitute against Wrexham at Bloomfield Road. He made two subsequent substitute appearances in the 1999–2000 season.[11]
The following season Lambert was on a month-to-month contract and
struggling to get a place in the reserves. He was released by Steve McMahon in November 2000.[10][12]
Macclesfield Town
Lambert remained a free agent for almost four months, during which time he worked in a beetroot bottling plant to make ends meet,[9] until he was signed by another Third Division club, Macclesfield Town in March 2001, where he made a total of 9 league appearances in the remainder of the 2000–01 season.[13] In the 2001–02 season Lambert became a regular for Macclesfield, with a total of 40 appearances and 10 goals,[14] his first two finishes coming in a 2–2 draw with Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup on 17 November 2001.[15] Just a week later, Lambert scored his first hat-trick in a 4–1 league win against Luton Town.[16]
Stockport County
Macclesfield received a club record transfer fee of £300,000 for Lambert from Second Division side Stockport County,[17] in a move which was completed on 26 April 2002.[18] In his first season
in the third-tier, Lambert made a total of 32 appearances in all
competitions, although only scored two goals (both in league matches) –
in a 2–5 loss against Swindon Town on 18 January 2003,[19] and in a 2–2 draw with former club Blackpool on 22 March 2003.[20] The 2003–04
season would prove to be Lambert's most successful (on a personal) yet,
as 40 league appearances yielded 12 goals in a relegation-threatened
season, including another against Blackpool[21] and two in a late win against Rushden & Diamonds in the late stages of the season.[22] Lambert was a regular for Stockport at the beginning of the newly restructured 2004–05 season, but following poor team performances and a very real threat of relegation for the club he left in February 2005.[10]
Rochdale
Despite now being a relatively accomplished player, Lambert moved down a division to League Two club Rochdale from Stockport on 17 February 2005, the day after his 23rd birthday, for an undisclosed fee.[23] Lambert scored his first goal for the club only nine days after his transfer, in a 1–1 draw with Kidderminster Harriers,[24] but could not help secure promotion for the club. In 2005–06 the striker featured in all 46 of Rochdale's league matches, scoring a total of 22 goals in the campaign,[25] including one in a 3–1 defeat of former club Macclesfield Town.[26]
Bristol Rovers
Early into the 2006–07 season, Lambert was purchased for £200,000 from Rochdale by Bristol Rovers in a move finalised on 31 August 2006, transfer deadline day.[27]
Despite quickly establishing himself as a regular member of the squad,
it took Lambert until November to score his first goal for the club, in
the last-minute of a 2–0 win over Barnet.[28]
The remainder of the season proved to be a disappointment for the
forward, although an 86th-minute goal in the last league game of the
season against Hartlepool United ultimately sent Bristol Rovers into the League Two Playoffs.[29] Lambert also scored the only goal in the League Trophy Southern Area Final in a Bristol derby against local rivals Bristol City,[30] which ultimately sent the team into the final with Doncaster Rovers (which they lost 2–3 after extra time).[31]
In 2007–08 Lambert appeared in every game of the season for Bristol Rovers, scoring a total of 19 goals in all competitions.[32] Lambert proved to be most useful in the FA Cup, scoring goals in both legs of the First Round against Leyton Orient,[33][34] two goals in the 5–1 Second Round win over Rushden & Diamonds,[35] the only goal in the Fourth Round win against Barnet,[36] and the only goal in the Fifth Round win against Southampton, scored in the last ten minutes of the game.[37] Despite his relatively low scoring record, Lambert finished as the club's top scorer for the season.[38]
In the following season,
Lambert established himself as one of League One's best players by
finishing as the season's joint-top scorer of 29 goals with Swindon
Town's Simon Cox[39] – a performance which also resulted in his first inclusion in the PFA League One Team of the Year.[40]
Throughout the season, in which Rovers finished a respectable 11th in
the league, Lambert put in a number of impressive performances,
including scoring all four goals in a 4–2 win against Southend United,[41] and scoring a hat-trick in a 3–0 away win against Hereford United.[42]
Southampton
On 10 August 2009, with a total of 155 appearances and 59 goals for
Bristol Rovers, Lambert completed a move worth in excess of £1 million
to recently relegated League One club Southampton.[43] The striker scored on his debut for The Saints against Northampton Town on 11 August 2009,[44] and went on to become the club's top scorer for that season with 36 in all competitions.[45] Other notable goals scored by Lambert during the season include one against local rivals Portsmouth in the FA Cup Fifth Round South Coast derby on 13 February 2010,[46] a hat-trick against Milton Keynes Dons in the league on 20 March 2010,[47] and a penalty against Carlisle United in the 4–1 League Trophy Final win at Wembley on 28 March 2010.[48]
Following a season in which he performed statistically similarly to his
last with Bristol Rovers, Lambert was again named in the PFA Team of
the Year for League One, as well as winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award for the division.[49]
He finished his debut season with Southampton with a total of 36
goals in all competitions, in addition to the goal he scored for Bristol
Rovers in the opening match of the season.[50] With 31 League goals, Lambert was the top scorer in English football's top four divisions for the second season in succession.[citation needed]
He scored his 50th goal for Southampton in a 1–0 victory over Carlisle United on 12 February 2011.[51]
He finished the 2010–11 season as the club's top scorer with 21 goals,
as they finished second in the league. On 1 July 2011, Lambert signed a
new deal to keep him at the club until 2014.[52]
He scored his first goal of the 2011–12 season with a 25-yard free kick in a 4–1 victory over Torquay United in the League Cup on 9 August.[53] He followed this with a brace in a 5–2 victory at Ipswich Town. He scored a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest which Southampton won the match 3–2.[54] His 100th league appearance came in a 4–0 victory over Watford, with Lambert netting two penalties. He scored another hat-trick in a 3–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, two of which came from the penalty spot. His 15th and 16th goals of the season came in a 2–2 draw at home to Blackpool, the opener and a late leveller. He scored in a 1–1 draw with south coast rivals Portsmouth. After sitting out for 3 games after receiving a red card, he made his comeback with a goal in a 1–1 draw at Millwall
in the FA Cup. His first league goal after his suspension was in the
very next match and came from the penalty spot in a 1–1 draw against
promotion hopefuls Cardiff City. His 20th goal of the season came in the FA Cup replay against Millwall. He scored his third hat-trick of the season in a 3–0 victory at Watford on 25 February.[55] He continued his impressive first season in the second tier with a thunderous volley against Leeds United at Elland Road on 3 March,[56] which took his tally for the 2011–12 season to 24 in all competitions.[57]
On 13 March 2012, Lambert was named the Championship Player of the Year for 2011.[58] He scored his fourth hat-trick of the season in a 3–2 victory at Millwall.
While at Southampton, Lambert has not yet missed a penalty; giving him a
100% conversion rate. He scored both goals in a 2–0 victory at Crystal Palace to bring his goal tally to 30 for the season. He was then named in the 2011–12 PFA Championship Team of the Year, along with team mates Adam Lallana and Kelvin Davis.
He finished the season with 31 goals, 27 in the league, as Saints
clinched promotion to the Premier League, earning him the Southampton
Fans' Player of the Season award for the second time in three years.[59]
He scored on his first ever Premier League appearance, scoring just minutes after replacing Jay Rodriguez as a substitute against Manchester City.
This goal meant that Lambert joined a select group of players who have
scored in all 4 League divisions. He followed this up with the opening
goal in a game against Manchester United. He later grabbed two goals in Southampton's first league win of the season, a 4–1 victory over Aston Villa. His 10th Premier League goal came in a 2–2 draw at Chelsea,
with Lambert getting the first goal as Southampton came back from 2–0
down. He had only been on the pitch for a matter of minutes. He scored
his 100th Southampton goal in a defeat at Newcastle, which was his 12th
goal of the season. On 21 March 2013 Lambert signed a two year contract
extension, keeping him with the Saints until Summer 2016.[60]
Lambert scored his 14th goal of the season on his 500th career league appearance in a 2–1 win over Chelsea on 30 March 2013.[61] He ended the season once again as the club's top goal scorer, scoring 15 league goals.
Lambert started the 2013–14 Premier League season with another goal, a last minute penalty in a 1–0 win over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on 17 August 2013.[62] Lambert scored his second goal of the season from a free-kick in a 2–0 victory against Crystal Palace on 28 September 2013; this was his 200th career league goal.[63]
International career
On 8 August 2013, Lambert was called up to the England squad for the first time at the age of 31,[4][5] on the same day that his wife gave birth to their third child, a daughter, Bella.[64] Six days later, he scored on his debut with his first touch of the game against Scotland, scoring with a header three minutes after coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute, securing a 3–2 win for England.[65] Lambert earned a second call-up on 27 August 2013, when Roy Hodgson named him in the England squad to face Moldova and Ukraine in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[66] On 6 September 2013, Lambert was handed a start by Roy Hodgson against Moldova on 6 September 2013 at Wembley Stadium.
He got his second international goal in this match, another header,
making it two goals in two consecutive games. Lambert also contributed
the assist for two Danny Welbeck goals in the same game.[67]
Unfortunately for England, while playing the Ukraine on 10 September
2013, he was unable to obtain his 3rd goal in 3 games as England drew
0–0
